Saw this on a FB page; more of a rail trail topic, but I'll stick it in here too for my avid Reading fans in case you want to talk about how it looks like the same viaduct from "Unstoppable" and how it was used back in the day, etc.

Neighborhood volunteers first began cultivating the idea of converting the ruins of the Reading Viaduct into Philadelphia's own elevated park more than a decade ago.

After years of organizing, raising money, and drafting proposals, their efforts - and those of the politicians and professional planners who joined the cause - finally appear ready to bear fruit. Without fanfare, the city and the state have included millions of dollars in their latest budgets toward the first phase of the project: transforming the quarter-mile railroad "spur" that curves through the city's burgeoning Loft District and dead-ends onto North Broad Street.

Turning that section into a park with stunning Center City views is just a small part of the overall vision to "green" abandoned railroad infrastructure, transforming foreboding eyesores into amenities.

A larger, 4/5-mile section of the viaduct stretches with fortresslike walls from Fairmount Avenue to Vine Street. Across Broad, the old railroad line drops below street level, running through a subterranean channel from the former Inquirer and Daily News building to Fairmount Park at Girard Avenue.

Philadelphia Breaks Ground On Viaduct Rail Park...The City of Philadelphia, Center City District and the Friends of Rail Park broke ground today on the first portion of Rail Park.The development project will bring a quarter-mile park to an elevated rail line in the Callowhill neighborhood.Construction has started on phase one of the development of the Viaduct Rail Park; estimated completion is early 2018.Once complete, the park promises plenty of grassy space, swinging benches, lighting, walking paths and more.The project will green a quarter-mile section of the unused rail line from Broad Street southeast across 13th and 12th Streets to Callowhill Street.

Today marks a major day for Viaduct Rail Park’s progress — Philadelphia broke ground on phase one of the project.